South Holland gets message not to drink and drive over festive period

Less than ten per cent of those charged with drink driving over the Christmas and New Year period were from South Holland, according to Lincolnshire Police.

Figures released on Tuesday in relation to the force’s Christmas “Think Don’t Drink” campaign showed that of the 43 people charged with driving when above the legal alcohol limit, four were from the South Holland area.

James Fisher (26), of Spring Gardens, Long Sutton, and Mark Rodgers (60), of Carrington Road, Spalding, are both due to appear before Boston magistrates on January 17 after they were charged on Christmas Day and Boxing Day respectively.

Artjoms Haritonovs, of Patriot Close, Spalding, is due to appear at Boston Magistrates Court on January 24, while Airimas Rackaitis has been summoned to Lincoln Magistrates Court on January 26, with all four men facing drink driving charges.

Inspector Gareth Boxall, South Holland Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, said: “Our officers conducted 360 breath tests throughout the period between December 18, 2017, and January 2, 2018, having made 20 arrests.

“Those arrested were through a mixture of us responding to reports from members of the public, as well as both routine and additional stop checks of vehicles as part of this campaign.

“It was great to see that 340 people passed those breath tests and I thank them for their cooperation in this campaign.

“The hard work of South Holland police officers really made sure that drink driving was properly targeted over the Christmas period and, without doubt, those officers have contributed significantly to reducing drink driving in the area.

“Our officers were also supported, on occasions, by traffic officers from the East Midlands Operations Support Service, to whom I am also grateful.”

In contrast, a survey unveiled at the first-ever Lincolnshire Roads Summit in Grantham last November showed that between 2012-2016, South Holland drivers were at least 15 per cent more likely to be involved in drink driving-related crashes than any of Lincolnshire’s six other districts.

Superintendent Phil Vickers, policing commander for South Holland, Boston and East Lindsey, said: “Over the two weeks of the campaign, we have seen people charged with this offence almost daily.

“This highlights how much time our officers dedicate to reducing this type of offence and how many people we do charge with driving over the limit.

“If we have raised awareness or stopped just one person from getting in their car after drinking, then I consider this campaign a success.”